Abraham Verghese is the author and narrator of the book. He was born to Indian parents and raised in Africa. Abraham began his medical training in Ethiopia before continuing it in India and America, where he eventually became a naturalized citizen (“Biography.” Abraham Verghese). Abraham’s early years of working in medicine coincided with the AIDS epidemic, and as an internal medicine specialist, he treated and cared for a large number of patients with HIV. At a time when there was medically nothing available to treat or manage AIDS, Abraham witnessed a large number of “premature and tragic deaths” (“Biography”). His experience of the AIDS epidemic also brought him in contact with a large number of intravenous drug users, leaving him no stranger to David’s world, or the grief of David’s premature and tragic death.

Abraham views himself to be a “restless” and “secretive” person. His recollections of childhood memories indicate that he witnessed a significant amount of conflict at home, and he escaped these tensions through the solitary, physical activities of cycling and tennis. As an adult, Abraham is equally introverted. He does not make a great effort to network or socialize when he arrives in El Paso.